Apparatus for indicating stations, advertisements, and other announcements.



No. 896,206. PATENTED AUG'. 18, 1908.

A. E. HAYN &.J.A. W. LEILIGH. APPARATUS FOR INDIOATING STATIONS, ADVERTISEMENTS, AND OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS.

APPLICATION EILED NOV. 5, 1906.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

No. 896,206. PATENTED AUG.1a,19os.

A. E. EAYN A J. A. W. LEILIGH. APPARATUS EUR INDIGATING STATIONS, ADVERTISEMENTS,

AND oT-HEE ANNOUNCEMENTS.

APPLIUATIoN FILED Nov. 5 1906. v l .a SHEETS-EMM 2.

Ey [(5. fue? PATENTEU AUG. 118, 1908. A. E. HAYN & J.. A. W. LEILIGE. APPARATUS EUR INUIGATING STATIONS, ADVERTISEMENTS,

ANU OTEEE ANNOUNCEMENTS.

APPLIUATION TILED Nov. 5 1906.

3 SHEETS-SHEET a.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

AUGUST FRIEDRICH HAYN AND JOHANN AUGUST WILHELM LEILIOH, OF CHEMNITZ GERMANY.

APPARATUS FOR INDICATING STATIONS, ADVERTISEMENTS, AND OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS.

- HAYN and JOHANN AUGUST WILHELM LEI- LroH, subjects of the German Emperor, residing at Chemnitz, in the Kingdom of Saxony and Empire of Germany, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Indicating Stations, Advertisements, and other Announcements, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in apparatus for indicating stations and streets or for intermittently disclosing a series of advertisements and is adapted for use on trains, street cars, etc.

The invention relatesto that class of apparatus of the type referred to wherein the names of the streets or stations are disposed upon a plurality of plates or cards adapted to be mounted .upon a rotatable body whereby the cards or plates may be intermittently exposed.

The improvements consist in mounting the cards or plates in groups upon the rotatable body and providing means whereby said body may be adjusted in a manner to expose any desired group of plates, said adjustment being effected without interferring with the mechanism for actuating said body.

A further feature consists in an improved form of actuating mechanism whereby a yielding element is provided for effecting rotation of said body and a still further feature consists in a device for locking the operating mechanism or means in an inoperative position.

The invention consists in other features of novelty which will be more fully described in connection with the accompanying drawings and which `will be more particularly pointed out and ascertained in and by the appended claims.

Figure 1, is a view in side elevation, showing the case broken away, of an apparatus embodying the main features of our invention. F ig. 2, is a front elevation with parts of the casing in section. Fig. 3, is a vertical longitudinal section with certain of the plates or cards removed. Fig. 4, is an enlarged sectional view of the disks and the manner in which the plates are supported. Fig. 5, is a detail perspective view of an actuating arm.

Like numerals of reference designate simi- Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed November 5, 1906.

Patented Aug. 18, 1908.

Serial No. 342,062.

lar parts throughout the dieren-t figures of the drawings.

As shown a casing is provided having side walls l and 2 and a bottom wall 170. A shaft 3 is mounted in said side walls and carries disks 5, 6 and 7 spaced apart from each other and non-rotatively mounted on said shaft. Said disks carry a plurality of plates or cards 9 and desirably said plates or cards are disposed in groups whish are designated in Fig. 1 by references a, b, c, d, @,f, g, L. Said plates or cards are hung from the disks 5, 6 and 7 in the manner shown in Fig. 4, as regards the specific embodiment hereinillustrated, and in said ligure the plate 9 is provided with sleeves 22 which are so proportioned as to span the spaces between the disks 5, 6 and 7 and said plate 9 is recessed at 23 to permit the sleeved portions of the plates to be located inside of the peripheral margins of said disks. Said disks 5, 6 and 7 are perforated near their margins to admit rods 8 and 10`and in this construction the rod l0 extends through one of the sleeved portions and also throu h disks 6 and 7 into the left hand side of t e plate 9. Rod 8 extends through disk 5 into the left hand sleeved portion ofthe plate 9 adjacent the inner end of rod 10. It will be seen from the foregoing that the plates 9 can be readily removed from the disks when it is desired to insert plates having different subject matter disposed thereon. It will be understood however thatI do not wish to be limited to this speciiic manner of hanging the plates 9 from said disks.

One of the features of this invention is to provide a device of this character whereby the plates can be adjusted so that the order in which they are exposed may be varied. For instance if the device were applied to a street car and it became necessary to switch the car prior to its arrival at one terminal and return it to another terminal it would be necessary to alter the street indicator so that the several streets would be exposed or indicated to the passengers in the proper order starting from the point at which the car was switched. There are many other reasons for making it necessary to provide means for adjusting the indicator plates.

As shown the shaft 3 extends through the wall 2 and is provided with a manually operp screw 182. By this arrangement the plate able member 16 whereby said disks may be rotated. An indicator in the form of a disk 24 is fixed to said -shaft 3 at a point outside the casing and isV provided on its outer face with a plurality of raised portions designated by A, B, C, D, E, F, G and H. Apointer 15 secured to the wall 2 overhangs the indicator 24 and discloses to the operator the relative positions of the several groups of cards or plates 9 with respect to the opening 25 in the front of the casing through which the subject matter on the cards or plates is eX- posed to view. Desirably said opening 25 is so proportioned as to expose the rear side of the foremost hanging plate 9 and the front side of the foremost upper plate as will be seen by reference to Fig. 1. This arran ement however is not essential as it will e sufficient to expose one plate if desired.

lt will be seen by reference to Fig. 1 that the designations a to h l indicating the several groups are advanced with respect to the designations A to H on the indicator 24 and the disposition of the groups is such that when the pointer 15 registers With A the group a will be first exposed and the succeeding groupsy willthereafter be consecutively disposed in the prescribed order of their dis osition. lf for any reason it became desira le to dispose group e first or to start the indicator with this group the operator would turn the member 16 until the raised portion E registered with the pointer 15, thus it will be seen that the indicator can be started in a manner to first expose any desired group of plates. and foremost plate in an exposing position fora prescribed period of time a retainer 181, preferably comprising a plate, is adjustably secured to the upper margin of the opening 25. Said plate is slotted at 183 to receive a stud upon which may be disposed a thumb 181 can be adjusted to vary the period of time for exposing the plates. AsL the shaft 3 rotates the foremost plate descending forwardly in the direction of the arrow will engage the plate 181 and will be retained thereby until the outer margin of the plate 9 slides 0H from the plate 181, due to continued rotation of the disks 5, 6 and 7. After the plate has been released it swings downwardly by gravity to a point below the disks 5, 6 and 7 and to prevent subsequent swinging movement of such plate a spring detent 26 is provided near the lower margin of the opening 25. This spring detent may consist of a rigid member 26 secured to the casing and a yielding member 262 adapted to be depressed by the downwardly swinging plate to permit the latter to assume a vertical position and thereafter engage the outer surface of the plate to hold it in a position of rest'.

The disks 5, 6 and 7 are given an intermittent rotative movement by means which ln order to retain the uppermost.

as shown consist of the following construction: An electro-magnet 48 is mounted upon the bottom wall 17 0 of the casing and is provided with a core adapted to attract an armature 45. Said magnetmay be connected in any suitable manner with a source of current whereby it may be intermittently energized and denergized. Said armature 45 is pivotally mounted at 12 to a support 11 and is rigidly secured to an actuating member having an arm 14. A spring 32 or other yieldingI means may be secured to the arm 14 at 30 at one end and at its other end to a holder 31 adjustably secured at 36. Said spring 32 normally holds the arm 14 in a position to free the armature 45 from engagement with the core of the magnet 48. A stop 27, which as shown may be adjusted limits upward movement of the arm 14.` A pawl 19 is pivotally mounted at 2O upon the arm 14 and is held in an operating position by a spring 21 secured to said pawl and arm. A ratchet-wheel 13 is mounted on the shaft 3 and is engaged by the pawl 19. A stop 35 is located in the path of the awl 19 whereby movement of the pawl is limited. A device is provided for maintaining the parts in an inoperative position and as shown said device consists of a -cam 143 mounted on a shaft 141 which latter is provided with a crank 142. Said cam 143 is adapted to engage an extension on the actuating member whereby the armature 45 maybe depressed and held in engagement with the core of the magnet.

The operation is as follows: When the locking device is released and the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 1, the magnet upon being energized, willL attract the armature 45 and swing the actuating member downwardly about its pivot 12 thereby causing displacement of the pawl 19 to effect its engagement with an advanced tooth of the ratchet-wheel 13. When the magnet 48 is denergized the spring32 will raise the arm 14 and the pawl until the latter engages the stop 35. rlhe magnet 48 willy then'be energized attracting the armature 45 in the manner described and thereby imparting a step by step or intermittent rotative movement to the shaft 3. that the spring 32 effects rotation of the shaft 3 and that the magnet'48 merely effects displacement of the pawl on the ratchetwheel and thus it will be seen that themagnet can be very economically operated and that the spring is only under tension when the magnet is energized and therefore the life of the spring is greatly prolonged.

, We claim:-

1. An a paratus for indicating Vstations and the li e comprising in combination, a revoluble shaft, disks fixed to said shaft, means for intermittently revolving` said shaft, indicator plates movably suspended It will thus be seen on said disks and adapted to severally fall from an upper to a lower position when said shaft is rotated, and a manually operable cam device for locking said means in an inoperative position.

2. In an apparatus forindicating stations, advertisements and other announcements the combination of a revoluble shaft, disks xed thereto spaced apart, indicator plates for announcements suspended on said disks, a ratchet-wheel ixed to said shaft, an electro-magnet, an arm connected to the arma- .ture of said electro-magnet, a spring at-v tached to said arm adapted to be stretched on the attraction of said armature by said electro-magnet, apawl pivoted to said arm adapted to engage said ratchet-wheel on the release of said armature, and a revolubly supported arbor provided at one end with a crank and at the other end with a cam adapted to press the armature of the electromagnet with its arm towards the latter on the turning of the cam by means of said crank, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. An apparatus for indicating stations and the like comprising in combination, a revoluble shaft, disks fixed to said shaft, means for intermittently revolving said shaft, said means including an armature arm and a magnet, indicator plates movably suspended on said disks and adapted to severally fall from an upper to a lower position when said shaft is rotated, and a cam shaft provided at one end with a crank and at its other end with a cam, said cam serving when said crank is rotated to engage and maintain said armature in engagement with said magnet.

4. An a paratus for indicating stations and the lile comprising in combination, a revoluble shaft, disks fixed to said shaft, a ratchet-wheel for said shaft, pairs of rods or pins bridging the spaces between said disks and arranged axially with respect to each other, an indicator plate mounted on each pair of said pins, said pins being removable axially from said disks and plates, a pawl adapted to engage said ratchet-wheel, and means acting through said pawl for imparting intermittent rotation to said shaft.

n testimony whereof we aflix our signatures in presence of two witnesses. i

AUGUST FRIEDRICH HAYN.

JOHANN AUGUST WILHELM LEILICH. Witnesses:

FREDERICK J. DIETZMAN, MORRIS LIPMAN. 

